How polluted is our ocean?

PollutionTracker, a new monitoring program for coastal British Columbia, Canada, is helping us answer this question. We are documenting the levels and trends of hundreds of contaminants of concern in mussels and nearshore ocean sediments.

Use the interactive map to see what we found

Methods

Samples were collected in partnership with First Nations, community groups, port authorities, and government agencies

PollutionTracker is the first coast-wide, integrated marine pollution monitoring program in British Columbia. Sampling and analysis along the B.C. coast provides an overview of pollution and helps to guide best practices, management responses, and remediation. This coordinated initiative provides high quality, comparable, and accessible contaminant data in support of a healthy coastal environment.

Contaminants

Contaminants of concern were found in coastal British Columbia

Pollution threatens the health of ocean life and all of us. Contaminants from many sources, near and far, enter food webs and can affect invertebrates, fish, seabirds, marine mammals, and people. PollutionTracker informs by providing high quality data on priority contaminants in coastal British Columbia and enabling actions that stem the release of harmful substances.

Summary

What did we discover, and what’s next?

We found pollutants in all samplesfrom coastal British Columbia, including widespread distribution of persistent contaminants, and localized presence of some pharmaceuticals, current use pesticides, and other emerging contaminants.